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Are Apple computers becoming useless?


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Are Apple computers becoming useless?
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noone
Awaiting Email Confirmation
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
 
2013-03-13, 09:06

I have over the past 6 months had several instances where getting access with an Apple computer to a website or part of a website was just not possible. I haven't kept a record of which sites are affected, but one very obvious one is the AVIS car rental site in the UK (avis.co.uk): I couldn't even change the starting date of rental, leave alone anything else (I have now told Avis about it, perhaps they'll do something).

Is Apple sittingon its high horse "we stick to all the protocols, even if other don't"? Or are servers deliberately set to ignore Apple computers (perhaps after it had been revealed that Apple users sometimes pay a premium when booking things over the internet)? Or is the Apple system software defective - because it doesn't matter which browser I use (Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome, Camino), I still ahve the same problem?

Just to dispel any doubts: I have gone as far as switching off the firewall, accepting all cookies, unblocking pop-ups and dropping all manner of other protection to see whether I could get the wesites concerned to work, unfortunately to no avail.

Worst of all, in each case firing up the computer via bootcamp and using MS Windows, I immediately managed to do what I had set out to do.

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Mugge
Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
 
2013-03-13, 12:19

WTF?!

Last time I heard about computers having troubles with websites, it was Microsoft that was moaning about the growing Webkit monoculture.

Have you tried to install Java and the Ask toolbar? Oracle says it improves your web experience a lot.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2013-03-13, 12:55

I still come across website that break in all browsers I have on my system. I was trying to evaluate some Verizon plans recently and gave up because their site kept giving JS errors.

It happens. Web developers, especially corporate ones, are far from perfect and produce plenty of broken, buggy code.

It's not just you. It's not developers deliberately ignoring Apple or modern standards. Much more often than not, it's due to ignorance, laziness, or being hamstrung by years-old technology decisions that the developers can't easily work around.

On the flip side, modern HTML5 sites that work in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox still fall apart in IE. There's no perfect solution for all of the myriad content online.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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Dorian Gray
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Paris, France
 
2013-03-13, 13:46

I’m sure Brad’s right, but I very rarely encounter websites that don’t work in Safari but work in some other browser or platform (obviously I sometimes encounter websites that are just plain unusable). I can’t think of even one right now.

On avis.co.uk I can set the rental dates in Safari without any obvious problems, unless I switch off JavaScript (Safari Preferences > Security > Enable JavaScript). So check your JavaScript is working.
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709
¡Damned!
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
 
2013-03-13, 14:59

You allow too many porn cookies. I had that shit for a while until I cleansed and went through my Safari prefs. Totally true. Once you let them in they'll even come in when you're not expecting ("Do you want to visit this site and allow us to plant shit on your computer? Click the only button we have. It says "NO", but much like we treat our our "models" NO means YES") - bringing your machine to an irritating halt and fucking up even installs if that makes any sense. I still haven't sussed it out.


*just for the record, it's more the "surprise" link(s) that forces you into about 30 porn site windows and you have to force-quit. The managed porn links are gentle like the smoothness of the inside of my knee-bend. If you haven't done it, don't jump to judge. It's delightful.

So it goes.
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Bryson
Rocket Surgeon
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
 
2013-03-13, 15:50

"Are Apple computers becoming useless?' said Noone.

This shit writes itself. Seriously.
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noone
Awaiting Email Confirmation
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
 
2013-03-14, 16:35

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorian Gray View Post
I’m sure Brad’s right, but I very rarely encounter websites that don’t work in Safari but work in some other browser or platform (obviously I sometimes encounter websites that are just plain unusable). I can’t think of even one right now.

On avis.co.uk I can set the rental dates in Safari without any obvious problems, unless I switch off JavaScript (Safari Preferences > Security > Enable JavaScript). So check your JavaScript is working.
It's not about seeing the dates - see what happens if you try to change them.

@ 709 : I have given up watching that crap years ago and don't have any ...

@ Mugge: I have installed Java, but it makes no change.

One curious fact: both Avis.co.uk and Avis.de suffer from the bug, but Avis.com doesn't
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Dorian Gray
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Paris, France
 
2013-03-14, 19:16

Quote:
Originally Posted by noone View Post
It's not about seeing the dates - see what happens if you try to change them.
I know, and it works perfectly. A calendar pops up, I select a date, the calendar disappears, and the new date is recorded.

Quote:
Originally Posted by noone View Post
One curious fact: both Avis.co.uk and Avis.de suffer from the bug, but Avis.com doesn't
Avis.co.uk and avis.de use the same design, while avis.com has something else. All of them work perfectly.

Let’s be realistic here. At a wild guess, at least 25 % of Avis customers use Macs to book their car rentals. Avis would be out of business in no time if they didn’t support Safari. You have a problem with your specific computer, not a general Mac problem.
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PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2013-03-14, 23:08

It would be bigger than that. Google Chrome uses the same technology as Safari, so you are looking at 30-45% of total web users who would be unable to use Avis's site.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2013-03-14, 23:14

Quote:
Originally Posted by PB PM View Post
It would be bigger than that. Google Chrome uses the same technology as Safari, so you are looking at 30-45% of total web users who would be unable to use Avis's site.
For rendering HTML, yes, but Chrome and Safari use different JavaScript engines.
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Gargoyle
http://ga.rgoyle.com
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: In your dock hiding behind your finder icon!
 
2013-03-16, 04:33

avis.co.uk working fine here, too (Chrome and Safari on 10.8.3).

noone, have you got some plugins, extensions, etc activated?
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
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2013-03-16, 09:51

Yes, Apple computers are becoming useless. There's a built-in timer which, with increasing days, removes features one by one.
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Bryson
Rocket Surgeon
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
 
2013-03-16, 13:31



The answer is, well, no.
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Ebby
Subdued and Medicated
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Over Yander
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2013-03-16, 14:49

I haven't experienced many software glitches like these, but the few I have could be tracked to some kind of plugin I had installed. I'm sure my problem is different then yours. Usually using Safari which I keep prettymuch stock gets around anyone's funkiness.

As for becoming useless... I have to agree but for different reasons. I'm a pro user and like the apple ecosystem, but Apple isn't a pro company anymore. They have iOS'd their pro apps or abandoned them altogether. Hardware design has stalled on the Mac Pro and features are being removed each iMac update. Yeah, they are beautiful machines, no doubt about it. But the most common question I get when family plan Apple purchases are what kinds of adapters do I need. I rarely get that question for PC systems if ever. (Answer: $120 in adapters and you can only use gigabit ethernet OR HDMI, not both at once.)

I recently bought some new technology and my family was shocked it wasn't an Apple product. My dad and brother were showing off their iPhone 5's and bragging, until I whip out my phone and stream a bluray quality video among other things. They were amazed. Yes, the iPhones can stream the same content and I used it on iPads, but to unlock the devices full capability means jailbreaking. I got fed up with that cat and mouse game and that turned me away from Apple. Just allow the 3rd party app store forcryingoutloud!

It occurred to me that, while Apple and non-Apple ecosystems are very similar in capability, choosing non-Apple I don't have to worry about what $30 adapters I need for compatibility, or how to jailbreak the device to escape the walled garden, or what limitations I may encounter. It is a blast from the past to use a device as I choose and I forgot how nice this felt. The only limitations I hit are Verizon's decision to block tethering despite the FCC's licensing terms stating they can't. Oh, and 16GB is not enough for 1080p files.

So sorry little iPhone. I love that device and always wanted one. But when it came down to dropping the money, it was too restrictive. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but with hindsight in mind, I generally lead the curve and there is a wave of these android devices are creeping into the Apple garden.

Apple needs to seriously wow their users again to reaffirm their way before the great Apple exodus of '13-'14. I just don't see that happening.

</rant>
The More You Know *star*

EDIT: Since when did applenova have a script to hide double spaces after a period? :P I know it isn't technically correct and all that but it's my style. Yeah, I caught you. haha!

^^ One more quality post from the desk of Ebby. ^^
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Mugge
Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
 
2013-03-16, 17:34

Quote:
Originally Posted by noone View Post
@ Mugge: I have installed Java, but it makes no change.
Dude, I wasn't being serious.

Here's my serious advice about Java: Avoid it like the plague, unless you are forced to use it. In the latter case I recommend having it disabled in Safari by default until you actually need it. And even then, the latest security update from Apple apparently showed that some exploits can switch it back on surreptitiously.

However, Java is not a Mac specific problem.
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noone
Awaiting Email Confirmation
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
 
2013-03-18, 10:40

Well, thanks for all the discussion. Having seen that it's not a widespread problem, I started with the usual suspects, the .plist files. And indeed, after deleting quite a few of those files, suddenly avis co.uk was once again accessible. Alas, I did not keep a record of which plist files a I deleted ...
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2013-03-18, 13:48

I actually think this thread should have been in the Genius forum, with a less alarmist title.

The current title would actually be a good title for a Rumors & Speculation forum.

Sorry you had probs though. Noone


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